The first thing he notices is her hair, it's blonde. It whips in the wind and when she dances around
(he'll come to find later that she's always dancing) the tips of it sometimes reach the edge of her
skirt. He yearns to touch it, tangle his little fingers through it and fly right along with her. When they
meet, the two souls click immediately. Even if her family was broken and his parents were cold, they
found the meaning of home whenever they were together.

She's back... Not for him, not for him... she repeats it to herself and to his face. It cuts like a
knife when she turns him away, but the two of them are not supposed to be, they can't be... He
hears what she's saying. He even understands. Blair does exist, and Serena loves her best.
Nate doesn't though. He's been sleep walking through his life since she left and now he's losing
her again. But, he stays away, with his porcelain life and his porcelain girlfriend and she tries
to move on with someone else, someone who sees a girl without any flaws and she likes being
that girl with no flaws, but deep in her heart, she knows... there's only one boy who loves her
for all she is and accepts her for all she isn't.

• • •

0 1. Because he loves her, not what he wants her to be.
0 2. Because he traded his whole story for her.
0 3. Because he doesn't care what her last name is.
0 4. Because they light up our tvs.
0 5. Because Dan dreams about them getting it on.
0 6. Because Serena wouldn't hurt Blair for nothing.
0 7. Because Serena is the most beautiful, amazing, alive Person Nate's ever known.
0 8. Because now he's with Serena and he's SO HAPPY.
0 9. Because even the dark ages couldn't keep us from shipping them.
0 9. Because love makes you do the wacky...like going into brooklyn.
1 0. Because "Wow". Yeah.
1 1. Because ever since three years when she left he has not stopped thinking about her.
1 2. Because he doesn't care if she smells like a brewery.
1 3. Because OF COURSE he loved her.
1 4. Because she needs to learn to accept herself and Nate can help her.
1 5. Because they (and we) have waited a really long time for this.
1 6. Because they don't have siblings or destiny, they have a life long thing that's natural and building.
1 7. Because they are always there for each other.
1 8. Because they were in a book club.
1 9. Because Nate would wait forever for Serena.
2 0. Because Nate knew Serena didn't cheat on Dan.
2 1. Because she gave him the best birthday ever.
2 2. Because the REAL Serena Loves the REAL Nate.
2 3. Because Lily may be an awful mother, but she knew S loved N.
2 4. Because they bring out the best in each other.
2 5. Because part of her will always love Nate.
2 6. Because they never did get that second chance.

"you can count on me a l w a y s."

"now i'm with serena and i'm so h a p p y"

• • •For the first time, he was happy. Finally, really and truly happy. In fact, he was drunk. And not
in a conventional way; there was no alcohol in his bloodstream. He's drunk on Serena, on the way
her mouth tastes, like champagne and summer afternoons, on the feel of her skin, the fit of her body
against his, on the sound of her quiet laughter, on the distinctive Serena-smell of sandalwood that
mingles with the scent of her perfume, on the fact that she said "me too". And she was happier than
ever. She was finally comfortable in her own skin, because he never wanted her to be anything different.
The love they built was simple and yet powerful. The sex, the easiness of their chemistry, the confessions
and the forgiveness. They were there for each other through every moment, the good and the bad.
Nothing could break them, no schemes or lies. No Stopping.

Alll I want is just the way it used to be with you here close to me
It felt like you really knew me, now it feels like you see through me
Whatever it takes I will wait until my dying day, just come back to me
I always thought it was sad, the way we act like strangers after all that we had
All my life I have felt this way but I could never find the words to say
Someday soon I'll wake and find my heart won't have to break
I can remember days of sun we knew our lives had just begun